Baby-jumper



(-No Model.)

F. E. WILDER.

BABY JUMPER.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

FRANK E. YVILDER, OF SALEM, ASSIGNOR TO OSCAR M. ANGIER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BABY-JU M PER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,136, dated. August 18, 1891.

Application filed December 10, 1890- Serial No. 374,191. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK E. WILDER, of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of lVIassachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Baby-Jumpers or Exercising-lvlachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and desirable device for the amusement and physical culture of infants; and it consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved babyjumper. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of a portion of the machine. Fig. 3 represents a perspective View of the part represented in Fig.2, showing in addition the flexible saddle which supports the infant. Fig. 4: represents a section on line 4 4, Fig. 1, looking toward the left; and Fig. 5 represents a plan view of the strip of flexible material of which the saddle is made.

The same numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, 0. represents a suitable base adapted to rest upon the floor of a room and composed, preferably, of two pieces of plank arranged in T form, and 1) represents a vertical standard affixed to said base near one end thereof, said standard being preferably a piece of wood inserted in a metallic socket b affixed to the base a.

0 represents a saddle-supporting frame, which is composed of an L-shaped metallic bar 2 and a back piece 3, secured to the end of the horizontal portion ofsaid bar, the con nection of said back piece to the bar 2 being preferably by means of rivets 4 4, formed on the piece 2 and inserted in holes in the-lower end of the-back piece 3, said rivets being upset to unite the two parts. The vertical portion of the L-shaped piece 2 isconnected by a pivot 5 at or near its upper end with a lever 6, which is pivoted at 7 to the upper portion of the standard b. One arm of said lever 6 is connected by a long spring 8 with the base a, said spring being intended to counterbalance the weight of the saddle-frame c and its occupant. The point of connection of the spring to the lever 6 may be moved toward or from the pivot or fulcrum 7 to adapt the spring to different weights, and to this end I provide the lever with a series of notches 9, each adapted to receive a slotted plate 10, affixed to the upper end of the spring 8. Said plate has a slot 12, formed to correspond to the cross-section of the notched portion or arm of the lever. Said notched portion has a rib 6 on its upper side, in which the notches 9 are formed. When the plate 10 is in its normal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4:, it is interlocked with the rib 6 and cannot move in either direction on the lever until it is turned a quarter of a revolution, thus bringing the offset or recess in said slot shown in'Fig. 4 in line with the rib 6', the plate being then permitted to move endwise upon the lever.

The lower portion of the vertical arm of the L-shaped piece 2 is connected by a link 13 with the standard I), said link being pivoted at 14 to the piece 2 and connected by a pivot 15 with the standard I). The connection of the saddle-supporting frame to the standard I) by means of th pivoted lever 6 and pivot-link 13 enables the said frame to rise and fall without varying its inclination, as will be readily seen, so that when the frame is depressed by the weight of the infant its inclination is not varied, the back piece 3, which supports the infants back, remaining at the same inclination at any point in its upward or downward movement.

16 represents a saddle, which is composed of a piece of cloth or other suitable flexible material of the general shape represented in Fig. 5. The wider end of said saddle-piece is attached in any suitable way to arms 17 17, projecting laterally from the back piece 3. A convenient way of securing the end of the saddle-piece to said arms is by folding the material of the piece around the arms 17 and connecting them with the main body of the piece by stitching. The saddle-piece is carried forward from the arms 17 to the lower portion of the L-shaped piece 2, where it is secured by a cord 18, passed through a slot 19 in said piece and around the saddle-piece, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. 'From this point the saddle-piece is carried upwardly along the vertical arm of the piece 2, and is attached to the upper end of said vertical arm in any suitable way, as by being folded over a lateral cross-piece or head 20, and secured by stitches or otherwise. The object of the extension of the saddle-piece along the vertical portion of the L-shaped piece is to present a soft or yielding surface at the front of the infant sitting upon the saddle; but it is obvious that the upwardly-extending portion of the said piece may be dispensed with, the saddle terminating at or near its point of connection with the piece 2. The saddle is supported sufiiciently high above the horizontal arm of the piece 2 to prevent it from bearing upon said arm; hence the saddle always affords a yielding support. The upper end of the back piece 3 is provided with a slightly-curved cross-bar or back-rest 21, which is preferably arranged to extend across the occupants back at a point below the shoulders. A strap 22 is attached to the cross-bar 21 as a means for securing the infant on the saddle. Said strap, when in use, is passed through a slot 23 in the vertical arm of the piece 2, and is converted into a continuous band by the engagement of a buckle on one of its ends with one of a series of perforations in the other division of the strap.

24 represents a cross-bar which is attached to the lever 6 at a point near the saddleframe directly in front of the occupant. Said cross-bar is designed to be grasped by the infant to assist it in its use of the machine, and also forms a convenient peg on which to hang playthings with which the infant may be amusing itself.

The saddle is arranged at such height that an infant mounted upon it can touch the floor with its feet. It will be seen that by the spring 8 being arranged to counterbalance the weight of the infant the natural movements of the infants feet will cause the saddle to rise and fall, thus giving the occupant an agreeable and healthful motion, calculated both to amuse and physically benefit.

I claim 1. Theimproved baby-jumper o1 exercisingmachine consisting of a supporting-base, a post or standard thereon, a lever pivoted to said standard, a saddle support or holderpiv- 5o otally connected to one arm of said lever, a link connecting said saddle holder to the standard, and a counterbalancing-spring engaged with the other arm of said lever, as set forth.

2. In a baby-j umper or exercising-machine, the combination of the saddle -supporting frame, composed of the L-shaped piece and the back piece secured to the horizontal arm thereof, and a flexible saddle secured at one end to the back piece and at the other end to the L-shaped piece, as set forth.

In a baby-j um per or exercising-machine, the combination of the L-shaped piece having a slot 1.), the back piece secured to the horizontal arm of the L-shaped piece and provided with arms 17 17 and the saddlepiece secured at one end to said arms and at the other end to the upper portion of the vertical arm of the L-shaped piece, said saddlepiece being held at a point between its ends by a binder engaged with the slot 19, as set forth.

4. The saddle-supporting frame composed of the L-shaped piece 2, having a slot 23 in its upper portion, and the back piece having the cross-bar 21 at its upper end, combined with a saddle attached to said frame and a strap attached to the back piece and adapted to be engaged with the slot 23, as set forth.

5. The combination of the saddle-supporting frame, the lever 6, pivotally connected to said frame, the lever-supporting standard, the link connecting said frame with the standard and arranged substantially parallel with the lever, the levcr-counterbalancing spring, and the handle-bar attached to the lever and arranged to be grasped by the occupant of the saddle, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 26th day of November, A. D. 1890.

FRANK E. \VILDER.

Witnesses:

EWING W. HAMLEN, C. F. BROWN. 

